Author: Steve Little

Steve Little is the AI Program Director for the National Genealogical Society and the founder of AI Genealogy Insights. I trace my deep roots to one Appalachian county, where, by 1820, all 32 of my 3rd-great-grandparents had settled—many even earlier than that. In fact, 60 of my most recent ancestors were born, lived, and died there, in Ashe County, NC. My passion lies in AI & genetic genealogy: with a keen interest in endogamy, pedigree collapse, and the art of deciphering multiple relationships through DNA segment triangulation, and an insatiable curiosity to explore beneficial uses and current limits of artificial intelligence in genealogy. Beyond genealogy, I wear many hats: I'm a husband and a dad, a Methodist pastor, and a Virginian. My hobbies span from bird watching and sky gazing to chess and film. Additionally, I'm an avid reader, writer, photographer, and regex script hacker.

First Glimpse: OpenAI’s “Deep Research” isn’t like the others

Four major companies recently released AI research agents, all nearly identically named. One stands apart. In episode 24 of the Family History AI Show podcast, available today, Mark Thompson and I introduce a new class of AI models known as research agents. Since December, Google has released Gemini 1.5 Pro with Deep Reseach, China's DeepSeek … Continue reading First Glimpse: OpenAI’s “Deep Research” isn’t like the others →

The Author’s AI Assistant: Finding Errors While You Maintain Control

Using AI to check 10 writing basics while maintaining authorial control This virtual copy editor scans your writing, identifying errors from grammar to flow. It presents each correction with clear reasoning, then hands you the red pen—letting you decide which improvements belong in your final text. Three versions of the prompt are included and discussed … Continue reading The Author’s AI Assistant: Finding Errors While You Maintain Control →

Quick Update on AI “Reasoning” Models as OpenAI Releases New o3 Variants

The AI-space has been ablaze with news about "reasoning" models since the release of DeepSeek's reasoning model "R1" (which grabbed attention for its: 1) strength; 2) non-US origins; 3) open-source availability; and 4) cheap access). Now, as OpenAI releases their next reasoning models - "o3-mini" and "o3-mini-high" - it's worth understanding what this "reasoning" buzz … Continue reading Quick Update on AI “Reasoning” Models as OpenAI Releases New o3 Variants →

Loathsome Jargon: Context Window

Before we dive into this week’s terrible term, let’s revisit why Loathsome Jargon exists. It all started with a simple, searing dislike—mine—for jargon. Those convoluted, confidence-draining buzzwords that make perfectly good ideas sound like a secret society’s code language. AI, in particular, is a buzzing hive of these horrors. But here’s the truth: behind many … Continue reading Loathsome Jargon: Context Window →

Fun Prompt Friday: Narration

Welcome back to Fun Prompt Friday! Last week, we got our hands dirty with the art of extraction, teaching our favorite AI tools how to dig through unstructured texts and unearth rich, structured nuggets of information. If you’ve ever wanted a machine that could comb through raw data and deliver it to you on a … Continue reading Fun Prompt Friday: Narration →

Loathsome Jargon: An AI Glossary for Genealogists

I hate jargon with a white-hot passion; the same goes for lingo and terminology. I try to avoid jargon like the plague. (Apparently, however, that fussiness doesn't extend to clichés.) We've probably all noticed that some folks toss out buzzwords to impress others, perhaps as an attempt to bolster their own credibility and camouflage their … Continue reading Loathsome Jargon: An AI Glossary for Genealogists →

Fun Prompt Friday: Extraction

This is the first of three "Fun Prompt Friday" posts to start the new year, introducing a set of AI tools to empower researchers with the basic AI skills to advance their family history research. The basic unit of AI genealogy is the USE CASE, a task that a generative model can accomplish as well … Continue reading Fun Prompt Friday: Extraction →